Serie A: Juventus v AC Milan Combined XI
The drama will continue in Serie A as the league leaders Juventus host AC Milan on Saturday afternoon. The match could be an exciting one as the table toppers are definitely going to miss Cristiano Ronaldo due to injury.
A tight game is expected as the Milan side will be looking to take revenge for their loss in the Supercopa Italia final where they were defeated by a single goal scored by Ronaldo.
Juventus top the Serie A table with 81 points from 30 matches, while AC Milan are fourth at with 52 points, after playing the same number of games as Juventus. Gattuso's men will be looking to finish this 2018-19 season among the top four teams.
A victory on Saturday could heavily boost this Milan side as there are only six points between them and fifth placed Atalanta FC. Let's take a look at the combined XI in a 4-3-3 formation ahead of the clash at Juventus Stadium.
Goalkeeper
Wojciech Szczesny is regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in Serie A. He should make another appearance for the Old Lady on Saturday. The Polish goalkeeper has played 22 matches for Juventus in Serie A this season.
The Milan superstar goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma is set to miss out this weekend's match due to injury so Wojciech makes the spot his own in our combined XI.
Defenders
Centre-back: Alessio Romagnoli
This season, AC Milan have been terrific in defence, having conceded only 28 times in Serie A. And Alessio Romagnoli is the man mostly responsible. The 24-year-old is likely to start this weekend and he makes it to our combined XI.
Centre-back: Giorgio Chiellini
Giorgio Chiellini is one of the biggest stars in Italian Serie A. Juventus have conceded only 19 goals throughout this season. And we should give credit to Chiellini for this defensive record. As captain, he has been superb for the Old Ladies. The 34-year-old Italian should start in this weekend's thriller.
Left-back: Alex Sandro
It is Alex Sandro, who confirms his place as the left-back in our combined line-up over Milan's Ricardo Rodriguez. This season, Sandro has provided only two assists from 26 Serie A appearances. But, you can't judge the player only by his statistics as the left-back has been compared with a few greatest names in the same position. Sandro will definitely add some boost in both defensive and offensive halves.
Right-back: João Cancelo
Juventus' João Cancelo is expected to start on Saturday as we could see him playing in the Old Lady's right-fullback position. His defensive qualities are good, but his actual strength is those stunning runs he makes from the right flank. The 24-year-old fullback has one goal and two assists for Juve this season. A brilliant performance is expected from this Portuguese full-back as makes his place on the right side of our combined XI.
Midfielders
Tiemoue Bakayoko, Miralem Pjanic, Lucas Biglia, Blaise Matuidi
Tiemoue Bakayoko has already proved that AC Milan is the perfect place for the French star. He has played a vital role in the defensive midfield position of the Milan club. He will be looking to show their domination over Juventus' midfield with his fellow midfielder, Lucas Biglia who is also well-known for his defensive qualities. Having some crucial defensive responsibilities in the midfield, both players have one goal under their name in this season.
The duo of Blaise Matuidi and Miralem Pjanic could apply pressure to Milan's midfield. Matuidi has already scored three goals, while Pjanic has provided three assists this season for the table toppers. The holding play of Matuidi and the attacking output of Pjanic could give AC Milan a hard time on Saturday.
Forwards
Krzysztof Piatek and Cristiano Ronaldo
Krzysztof Piatek is in superb form for AC Milan this season as the Polish star has scored seven goals in 10 appearances. Juve's superstar Cristiano Ronaldo makes it to our combined XI, though he will miss tomorrow's match due to fitness concerns. In this current season, Ronaldo has scored 19 goals, while he also has eight assists under his name. Both players have the abilities to frighten opponents defence line.
